Vigil Light
Zeev Kachel, 1988
I lit a vigil light in the heart of men,
So they’ll find the path once I am gone,
The grass will whisper a the words of my poem then
The most alluring star will signal before dawn
At last the hardships of my journey will abate
And in space I'll drift for a long, long run
Upon my resting place, a pale moon will dilate
And wolves will wail, calling out for the lone one.
Because I praised the beauty in what's human
Blue dust of stars will inscribe my name
An eternal vault I erected in the heart of men
The wick of my candle shall be set aflame
I scattered words around me, with no regrets
While rocks laid heavy, heavy on my heart
I let fly the sparks of my soul, my poems, my vignettes
And so I'm left here, naked and apart.
A Memorial
Zeev Kachel, 1992
I have erected a memorial for myself in the heart of men
It won't crumble, as long as on the morrow
Someone will come to feel my pain, and then
Will strive to solve the universal sorrow
Then like diamonds, my tears will shine
And blind my enemies wherever they may be
The words I wrote in silence, line by line
Will point the way for every dreamer, there to see
You'll always find a spot of muck, on any surface
Another parasite who feeds upon your strength
Don't retreat, my friend, just don't be nervous
Under the glass, even a leech seems magnified in length
You and your poem will continue to excite
Because your truth, the truth that they have hidden
A young person will come, and bring to light5.
A Lone Wolf
Zeev Kachel, 1989
When I will no longer be, my paintings will speak for me
And my poems—
When I will no longer be—
My absence will speak for me
When I will no longer be.
And then—
You will say:
He was a good man, but an angry one
A man of quarrel and strife.
He was one-of-a-kind.
He flew by like a bird
Very separate. Distinct.
And severe.
It's a pity he's gone.
A lone wolf.
Time Crawls Slowly
Zeev Kachel, 1989
Time crawls slowly but it flies by fast
Up there on the hilltop my torch is ablaze at last
About to flow away to a stormy sea, I start
With everyone else around me, but somehow set apart
Fantasy
Zeev Kachel